Should voters care what Spokane’s mayor thinks about abortion? We Believe, We Vote says yes

Last fall, conservative Christian nonprofit We Believe, We Vote asked candidates for Spokane County office whether they thought the Washington law that grants women the right to an abortion should be repealed.

It was a timely question, posed mere months after the Supreme Court reversed 50 years of precedent by overturning Roe v. Wade.

But whether it was a relevant question is up for debate.

County politicians don’t have any say over Washington’s state-level abortion law. It’s difficult to imagine a situation wherein the county assessor, whose job is to determine local property values for tax purposes, would have authority over anything abortion-related.

And yet, politicians on both sides of the aisle agree that, rightly or wrongly, some voters absolutely care what their county assessor thinks about reproductive rights.

“People vote for people who are like them,” former Spokane City Councilwoman Candace Mumm said.

The Spokane organization, founded in the 1990s, is best known for its voter guides that often aim to reveal politicians’ views on moral and social issues. We Believe, We Vote signs are a common sight on street corners every fall.

In some years, We Believe, We Vote asks candidates numerous questions about local issues. But many of the organization’s questions deal with broader topics such as economic philosophy, the Bible, Jesus Christ, the Constitution, the First and Second amendments, gay marriage and abortion.

We Believe, We Vote Executive Director Dale Whitaker said the goal of the surveys is to determine a political candidate’s true character. Yes, he says, the mayor of Spokane doesn’t have much say over abortion, but knowing her abortion stance is still relevant.

“We want to raise up candidates that align with our values,” Whitaker said. “All we want is to have a moral and just society.”

We Believe, We Vote stops short of endorsing candidates, but it tends to give glowing reviews to the most conservative, devout politicians.

For instance, former state Rep. Matt Shea once received a 5-star rating from the organization – a perfect score. We Believe, We Vote had only one knock on Shea, who’s known for holding a number of extreme religious and political views: that his “dedication to principles sometimes compromises his diplomacy.”

Spokane City Councilman Jonathan Bingle, one of the most outspoken Christians in local politics, said he thinks We Believe, We Vote is providing a valuable service. Bingle has historically received high scores on We Believe, We Vote surveys and considers himself well-aligned with the organization’s views.

Figuring out whom to vote for is a challenge, Bingle said, especially at the local level. Having a concise voter guide specifically aimed at Christians is a boon, he said.

“I don’t have time to investigate 50 different people I’m going to be voting for,” Bingle said. “I’m just a good Christian man who’s trying to elect good Christian leaders in my area.”

A decade ago, it wasn’t uncommon for liberals or Democrats to participate in We Believe, We Vote’s interviews or fill out the organization’s surveys. Now, the vast majority of centrist or left-leaning politicians ignore the surveys entirely, and even many conservatives don’t fill out the forms.

“The way their questions are written did not feel like it gave me the ability to really express my opinion,” said Lisa Brown, a former state legislator running for Spokane mayor. “I don’t align with them in general.”

Brown wasn’t the only big name who ignored We Believe, We Vote’s survey this year. Mayor Nadine Woodward didn’t fill it out either. City Councilwoman Betsy Wilkerson and Kim Plese, both candidates for City Council president, also stayed away.

Spokane County Commissioner Josh Kerns, a Republican who has always scored well on We Believe, We Vote’s surveys, said he expects politicians are simply afraid to get bad marks.

“Not a lot of candidates like to fill out surveys that they’re going to get a really poor grade on,” Kerns said.

Whitaker said he wishes every candidate filled out We Believe, We Vote’s surveys, even progressive atheists bound to wind up with a 0% rating. A politician like Brown could use that 0% rating to her advantage, Whitaker argues.

“She could use the We Believe, We Vote survey as a badge of honor,” he said.

Mumm, who describes herself as a moderate Christian, said she appreciates what We Believe, We Vote is trying to accomplish, but doesn’t think the organization has much of an impact on local elections.

“I think they’re well-meaning, but I don’t necessarily think they’re well-informed,” she said. “I think they have a pretty narrow understanding of the different levels of government and what they do, and it’s reflected in their questionnaires.”

Bingle said We Believe, We Vote was a great help to him when he first began paying attention to politics. Having these candidate surveys available free, online, makes life much easier for Christian voters, he said.

Christian political candidates running for local office shouldn’t spend much time talking about abortion and other issues that can’t be changed at the local level, Bingle said. But he added that it’s not illogical for voters to want to know if a candidate is pro-life.

“If you’re pro-abortion, you’re also probably pro other things I disagree with,” he said.

Whitaker said he thinks cowardice prevents more politicians from taking We Believe, We Vote’s surveys. Campaign managers are giving their candidates bad advice, he said, because they’re more interested in winning elections than advancing virtuous causes.

“If you win while forsaking your values,” he said, “I believe you’re winning for the wrong reasons.”